Another major part of the project is the boardwalk along the Genesee River. This includes boat docking facilities, improvements to the biking/walking trail, and amenities such as benches, and historical markers.

The hotel developer is Christensen Corporation of Minneapolis, MN. Christensen Corporation acquired the development rights to the office and retail complex from the original developer for that portion of the development, Flaum Management Company Inc . The City will develop the waterfront area.

Site work began in September 2006. The hotel was completed in November of 2008. Construction of the office and retail complex began in the May 2008. The nearby Riverview Apartments, built at the same time, provide housing for 400 University of Rochester students.

The Brooks Landing project would use about 1.4 acres of the 802-acre Genesee Valley Park. To make up for that, the city proposes expanding Turning Point Park on the north side by more than 19 acres, most of it marshland and open water.

The aim is not just economic development in the 19th Ward, but to tie UR into the city more, "so there will be a purpose to go over that bridge," said City Council President Lois Giess.

What's next: Street construction on South Plymouth Avenue will be completed, along with utility relocation and some environmental remediation along an old railroad right of way. Then construction can begin, possibly next spring, on the promenade, boat docks, restaurant, hotel and parking lot.

See Also

Comments:

2006-06-06 23:01:04 There is now a big pile of dirt next to the old NET office and alon a significant chunk of what used to be Plymouth, but otherwise, there has been no visible progress. —DaveMahon

2006-11-10 21:39:14 They have finally moved on from what seemed one man and a shovel all summer long to two men and a bulldozer lately... —FranChandler

2007-01-11 01:02:32 This is such an important project for the vitality of the 19th and all Rochester! Hurry! —AliceKimball

2007-01-11 09:36:32 By "vitality" I assume you mean "gentrification." —JasonOlshefsky

2007-01-11 20:41:11 Visit the corner of Brooks and Thurston on a Thursday or Friday night and check out the posters on the windows. And the crowd at the bar. I don't think gentrification is an immediate concern. —DaveMahon

2007-06-06 21:21:26 The pilings are finished and actual vertical walls have started to appear. You can see them from Plymouth and from the foot bridge. —DaveMahon

2007-07-09 18:19:58 I cannot wait for this!!

It can be a fine line between "vitality" and "gentrification," but I feel confident that this development will not cross it. There is a genuine desire to preserve and enhance what the neighborhood already offers, in keeping with the unique 19th Ward spirit that I've heard about for years. —ChelseaAllinger

2007-07-12 22:19:21 It seems as if some site work has started just up South Plymouth for the housing project North of the bike/foot bridge. —EricLarsson

Wait, why is the picture of Riverview Apartments and not Brooks Landing? —DaveMahon

2007-08-16 16:46:00 I am really excited about this project as it will certainly help revitalize Rochester. —RocDalton

2007-10-27 15:35:29 As a resident in the Strong neighborhood, I am concerned that the natural scenic beauty of the river is being compromised. The river is a public good, it belongs to all of us, not a hotel or corporation or even the UR. The 19th ward has always been a middle class neighborhood and it is still a good place to live, despite the increase in crime and violence. There have been problems with drugs there for decades - it is nothing new. As you walk or ride a bike along the river path on the UR side, you see only the beautiful river, trees, a restive calming view. Please don't ruin it with ugly condos. I hope these will be set back from the river and the river edge and all areas of Genesee Valley Park will always be accessible to the public. The area in the bend at the foot of Brooks Ave used to be a rapids before the Court St. dam was built. ARe they going to dredge the river to have a marina? —CarolLucky

2007-10-27 18:07:47 I walked home from work on Thursday. At the corner of Brooks & Genesee, a cop in a aquad car pulled over and cautioned that there have been a string of assaults in that area this week.

They're patrolling the neighborhood, but pedestrians should use caution, stay alert, and travel in groups when possible. —DaveMahon

2008-07-30 23:33:18 Staybridge Suites Hotel will be completed in October 2008. Riverview Apartments were completed in August. Boulder Coffee will be completed in October. Boardwalk, boat docks and bike trail will be completed in September 2008. Office/retail complex will be completed in March 2009. Restaurant development will take place in 2009. A community celebration is being planned for November 2008 for the entire development. 25 years in the making, we're almost there. —DanaMiller

2009-02-10 16:43:28 Grand openining celebration was held on November 10, 2008 for Boulder Coffee at Brooks Landing, 88-room Staybridge Suites hotel, boardwalk and boat docks. Office building across the street with new retail spaces is under construction and will be completed in the spring. Restaurant is still in the planning stages. —DanaMiller